Resurgent Armstrong Cuts Into Jalabert’s Advantage

Laurent Jalabert held onto the lead at the Tour de France on Wednesday while nervously eyeing the progress of defending champion Lance Armstrong.

Germany’s Marcel Wust won the fifth stage in a sprint finish, but the overall standings were affected by events behind him: Armstrong ended in 25th place, 34 spots ahead of Jalabert, to almost cut the Frenchman’s lead in half, from 24 seconds down to 14.

“Of course I want to hold onto the yellow jersey” of the leader, Jalabert said. “But to do so we have to improve on today’s performance.

“Maybe we should try a few more breakaways.”

Jalabert gained the overall lead Tuesday for the first time in five years after his Once team won an important time trial. But the Frenchman, once ranked No. 1 in the world, said the victory, in strong headwinds, took its toll Wednesday.

“At the start my legs were heavy--I thought everybody would feel the same way,” he said.

The riders, who came through a punishing time trial Tuesday, had to withstand rain and wind for most of the 125-mile trek from Vannes on the Atlantic coast to the medieval town of Vitre in Brittany. Most of the course was flat except for four climbs.

It ended with a sprint--Wust, who races for Festina, beat fellow German Erik Zabel by the narrowest of margins, winning in 4 hours 19 minutes 5 seconds. Italy’s Stefano Zanini of the Mapei team was third.

Crossing the line in a large group just after Wust, Armstrong and 29 others were awarded the same finishing time. The 28-year-old Texan remains in third overall. Spain’s David Canada, of Once, is in second, 12 seconds behind his French teammate.

Germany’s Jan Ullrich, Italian Marco Pantani and Switzerland’s Alex Zulle are widely considered the most likely threats to Armstrong’s title.

But, so far, only Ullrich, in 12th, has managed to stay within sight of the American and Jalabert. The German is 57 seconds behind Jalabert, Zulle is 4:19 behind and Pantani 5:26. But the Italian could easily wipe that deficit away in the mountains, his favorite arena.

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Tour de France Glance

A look at Wednesday’s fifth stage:

* STAGE--A 125-mile team time trial from Vannes on the Atlantic coast to the medieval town of Vitre.

* STAGE WINNER--Germany’s Marcel Wust, of the Festina team, won the race with a sprint finish, in 4 hours 19 minutes 5 seconds.

* HOW OTHERS FARED--Defending champion Lance Armstrong finished 25th, but it was enough to cut 10 seconds off the lead of overall leader Laurent Jalabert. The Frenchman finished 59th.

* QUOTE OF THE DAY--”I’m the happiest man in the world. This is proof I can win anywhere.”--Wust

* NEXT STAGE--Today’s stage covers 123 miles from Vitre to Tours, as the Tour begins its southern descent toward the mountains.